FootJoy plant that makes golf shoes in Brockton is closing

Friday

Feb 27, 2009 at 12:01 AMFeb 27, 2009 at 6:31 AM

FootJoy, one of the last footwear companies in what was once called “Shoe City,” will shut down its manufacturing operation here within the next six weeks. The closing will leave 103 people without jobs.

Maureen Boyle

FootJoy can trace its history back to the 1800s when Brockton was called the “Shoe City” for its prowess in the footwear manufacturing industry.

In the mid-1990s, the venerable company was the world’s largest producer of hand-crafted golf shoes, employing 168 people at its four-story, century-old factory on Field Street.

But soon, FootJoy will go the route of other shoe-related companies in Brockton as it falls victim to the dismal economy and shrinking demand for its products.

FootJoy is closing its manufacturing operation here, leaving 103 people without jobs.

The company announced the closing on Thursday, saying it will occur in phases over the next six weeks.

Rob Kelley, company spokesman, said there has been a drop in demand for the leather-soled golf shoes made at the plant. That, combined with the sour economy, led the company to decide to shut the plant, he said.

“The decision was a necessary one,” Kelley said.

The plant produced Classics Tour and Classics Dry premier golf shoes and a small line of men’s dress shoes. Those shoes will be discontinued.

News of the closing stunned the head of the Brockton 21st Century Corp., an economic development group.

“This is out of the blue,” said Don Walsh, chief executive officer at Brockton 21st Century Corp. “We had no idea this was coming.”

Walsh said his group plans to talk with FootJoy about the closing.

“I’m sure they are making a business decision ... It is a reflection of the economy rather than a reflection on Brockton,” he said. “It will leave a significant hole in Brockton.”

The closing of the plant is part of a company-wide reduction as the demand for golf equipment drops thanks to a decrease, among other things, in corporate spending on golf.

The company in December announced a three-phase plan to reduce its work force. New hiring was first halted and empty positions left unfilled, then buyouts were offered followed by layoffs.
Earlier this month, the parent company of FootJoy — Acushnet Company — laid off 100 people.

FootJoy golf shoes were part of Robert Sergio’s childhood.

“My grandfather, Joseph Cerci, worked at FootJoy for over 50 years,” said the Brockton police captain.

“I used to have a closet full of FootJoy golf shoes, the white and black ones,” he said. “Everyone in my family had golf shoes. It was an Italian family where no one golfed but all of our closets were full of FootJoy golf shoes.”

Richard Rosen, a Whitman businessman, said FootJoy golf shoes have always been comfortable.
“I have two pairs in my trunk, one in my closet,” he said.

FootJoy, headquartered in Fairhaven, is one of the brands comprising the Acushnet Company.
Titleist and Cobra are the other brands.

FootJoy was the result of the merger decades ago of two venerable Brockton companies, Field and Flint Co., founded in 1857, and Stone Tarlow Co., which began business in 1918.

In 1996, FootJoy was ranked No. 1 in the golf shoe industry with a 30 percent share of the worldwide market at that time.

Its share was three times that of its nearest competitor.

Workers produced 900 pairs of FootJoy Classic Golf shoes a day.

One pair of the high-quality golf footwear cost more than $200.

Kevin O’Connell, an occasional golfer in the city, said Thursday that he has a number of FootJoy golf shoes.